Friday, August 05, 2011

Medeia Sharif and Bestest. Ramadan. Ever.

Happy Friday! You may have noticed I didn't post on Wednesday. Bad me! I meant to, but it was thirty degrees in London, I was scoffing free cider by the river, and somehow afternoon turned into evening. By the time our West End theatre show let out, well, I wasn't in any fit state to be let loose onto the blogosphere!

Not eating from sunrise to sunset is hard, so I made this list of things I’d like for the holy month.

1) Lipgloss: When I fast, my breath might stink. There’s no food or water to swish out all those nasty germs in my mouth. Breath mints would be considered cheating, and I don’t want to use

mouthwash because I might accidentally swallow some. So I’ll put on some lipgloss, especially

when Peter’s around. My favorite scent is strawberry.

2) Hot boy(s): I’ll be distracted from thoughts of food if I have someone good-looking to focus on. Sorry Mom and Dad, and I’m not getting rid of the screensavers of my favorite Hollywood men.

3) A bestest friend who understands what I’m going through: My “good” friend Maria does her best to tempt me with her stupid Twinkies, but my bestest friend Lisa stands by my side. She knows I’m fasting for an important religious reason and she’s proud that I’m doing this! And I hope she’ll continue to support me, because behind her back I’m sort of doing something that might tick her off.

4) Earplugs: I don’t have these, but I seriously should get some. Grandpa yacks in my ear about

how I cheated during last Ramadan. Yes, I snuck in some chocolate wafers. He caught me red-handed since I didn’t wipe all the crumbs off my mouth. I was a bad person and weak-willed, but I’m doing really well this Ramadan. He needs to get over himself.

5) Good religious thoughts: Sometimes I feel guilty about thinking about boys and kissing them, and how I’m dropping a few pounds since I can’t eat during the daylight hours (loving the new body), but I do think about religious stuff and doing the right thing and getting into heaven.

I hope this helps you understand what I’m going through. My IM name is AlmiraRules if you’d like to contact me.

Book Description:

During Ramadan, we’re not allowed to eat from sunrise to sunset, for a whole month. My family does this every year, even though I’ve been to a mosque exactly twice in my fifteen years. My exercise-obsessed mom—whose hotness skipped a generation, sadly—says I could stand to lose a few. But is torture really an acceptable method? I think not.Things wouldn’t be so bad if I had a boyfriend, but my oppressive parents forbid me to date. This is just cruel and wrong. Especially since Peter, a cute and crushable artist, might be my soul mate. Figures my bestest friend Lisa likes him, too.

To top it off, there’s a new Muslim girl in school who struts around in super-short skirts, comma

nding every boy’s attention—including Peter’s. How can I get him to notice me? And will I ever feel like a typical American girl?

About the author:

Medeia Sharif is a high school English teacher residing in Miami Beach. Her young adult debut novel BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. was released July 2011. You can find out more about her by

When I was a teacher a lot of the children would fast. They were excused from PE as it made them thirsty. Most of them were a bit too young to really take it seriously but they still did it. I think I'd be the same as Almira, worried that my breath was smelly!

That was really interesting! (Too funny about the telltale crumbs - my sis got caught the same way only it was marshmallows.) Great choice of book/author to share. Glad y'all are getting some sun and warmth over there!

This book brings to mind a set of Muslim twins I went to school with in my home city of Cape Town. I was in a Muslim school for the first three years of my high school. they were as devout as this narrator's parents. I can't remember them making even one improper remark about boys even when all other students hormones were raging. They were terribly bright.Terribly is the word because I always felt so intimidated by bright people and anyone who had such an unhealthy relationship with maths and science was not graced with my friendship.LOL. i can't wait to read this one.

Medeia, I'm enjoying reading all the excellent press your debut book is receiving; congratulations! And thank you, Talli, for an enjoyable post. I've left an award for you at http://michellefayard.blogspot.com/2011/08/savvy-sensations-series-catches-me.html.

Please for Christ sake help this poor boy from HaitiI have made a blog at blogger.com Since i have added a google adsense in the blog but haven't made a penny with this. I need your help and support to help me make some money to PAY MY Tuition Fees.

What you have to do is follow these simple steps

1.go to Google.com and search "Kwotz-Golden Words of Life"2.then visit my blog from the the search results.3.Remain on the page i.e Kwotz for one minute or so and do some random surfing4. click ONE of the ads that appeals to you from AdChoices and visit there.5.remain on that page for one minute or so and do some random surfing.and that's it.

Note: You must Visit my blog from Google.com. Only ONE click is asked and nothing elseI will be very grateful to you.

About Me

I write bittersweet and witty contemporary women's fiction. Born and raised in Canada, I now live in London, where I savour the great cultural life (coffee and wine).
Despite training as a journalist, I soon found I preferred making up my own stories--complete with happy endings. My novels have been short-listed as Best Romantic Reads at the UK's Festival of Romance and chosen as top books of the year by industry review websites.
To learn more about me, go to www.talliroland.com or follow me on Twitter: @talliroland.